Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday proposed to reduce the tax collection at source (TCS) rate to 2 per cent for education and medical purposes under Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) as well as on sale of overseas tour program package.
'Global uncertainty is something which definitely occupies the minds of officials when we are preparing for the Budget.'
Avoid donating without checking the receipt proforma showing the political party's ECI registration number and PAN.
Coforge's planned $2.35 billion all-stock acquisition of US-based Encora has divided the Street, with a few brokerages terming it a "strategically positive" but execution-heavy bet while others raising valuation concerns.
Eternal, the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit, on Wednesday reported a 72.8 per cent jump in its net profit for the third quarter of financial year 2026 (Q3FY26), on the back of a robust momentum in its quick commerce business. The firm's net profit rose to Rs 102 crore in Q3FY26 against Rs 59 crore it reported during the same period a year ago.
The Budget emerges as a measured, credible and forward-looking policy document that reinforces India's commitment to remaining a stable, reform-oriented economy amid an increasingly fragmented global landscape, says A Balasubramanian.
Enterprising women business correspondents, known as BC Sakhis, have facilitated transactions worth Rs 27,000 crore in Uttar Pradesh, earning Rs 75 crore in commission over the past four and a half years. BC Sakhis, appointed under the nationwide women empowerment programme, are members of self-help groups (SHGs) who are trained and certified to provide banking and financial services in rural areas.
Ambareesh Baliga's quick take on the markets after the increase in STT on futures and options trading...
Israel and the United States had a plan. Iran punched back. And now the Gulf is reeling, the world is beginning to feel the pain and, as on date, no one in Washington or Tel Aviv appears willing to admit that the punch has landed, notes Prem Panicker, continuing his must-read blog on the war in the Middle East.
The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested a retired Army man and a woman for allegedly sharing sensitive information about military establishments and personnel with Pakistani agents.
Fight on toward goals that keep receding, or exit with most objectives unmet. Trump is agitated, his poll numbers falling below the Plimsoll line, his base fractured between those who back the war and those who remember that he campaigned on ending them.
While UIDAI has given a nod for face authentication, banks need to join the process.
A 21-year-old air hostess allegedly committed suicide in Thane, leading to an abetment case against her former partner. The investigation revealed financial exploitation and alleged threats.
'Credit growth in India remains in double digits, even though corporate borrowing is subdued.' 'Corporate credit is weak because companies are cash-rich and cautious amid global uncertainty.'
Security agencies are probing three bullet cartridges, two of them live rounds, recovered from the debris near the Red Fort blast site, a source said on Sunday.
Budget 2026 sticks to fiscal discipline, shuns populist measures despite five key state elections coming up, but ends up rattling stock markets with a higher transaction tax on derivatives trading.
'Given that India underperformed emerging markets by 28 per cent in 2025, the worst performance in over 30 years, the timing of the sharp STT hike could have been better.'
The Union Budget for 2026-27, presented by Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday, which was a first, had an excellent domestic macro backdrop. According to the first advance estimates, gross domestic product (GDP) in constant prices is projected to grow 7.4 per cent in the current financial year, against 6.5 per cent in 2024-25.
Capex, infrastructure development, and prudent fiscal management are the key focus areas in the Budget, says Nilesh Shah.
Building on last year's clearance of 172K cases, I-T department is pushing for faster appeal disposals, penalty reforms and system-driven processes to curb litigation and boost tax certainty.
Months after picking up 24.21 per cent stake in private sector lender Yes Bank, Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has received the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) in-principle approval for setting up a wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) in India.
The relation between a regulator and its regulated entities is collaborative and not adversarial with the common objective of maintaining the stability and credibility of the financial system. However, the action on regulated entities like penalties and business restrictions are the last resort, Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Friday.
Trai has ordered BFSI firms to move service and transaction calls to the 1600 series from 2026 to reduce spam, financial fraud, and rising digital arrest scams.
'When markets go into a budget with excessive optimism, the risk of disappointment is higher.'
UPI has catapulted India into the forefront on the global digital payments landscape. Working hand in hand, the AePS payments system is making life easy for rural folks, notes Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
The CM He, however, did not share further details about the case or the kind of evidence that establishes the death as murder.
Cleaner balance sheets, regulatory support and strong growth prospects helped Indian private banks attract over $6 billion in foreign capital, with more deals expected in 2026.
Open offers this calendar year, following attempts at acquisition and takeover, came in at more than two a week. There were 121 such open offers to acquire additional shares following a substantial acquisition or change of control, shows the data compiled by primedatabase.com.
'In the last one year, we have added more than Rs 1.7 trillion, and we are on track.'
Bajaj Finserv on Thursday said it has completed the acquisition of Allianz SE's stake in Bajaj General Insurance and Bajaj Life Insurance, worth Rs 12,190 crore and Rs 9,200 crore, respectively. Bajaj Finserv, along with Bajaj Holdings & Investment and Jamnalal Sons, acquired the foreign insurer's 23 per cent stake in the businesses, marking the largest transaction in the Indian insurance sector.
'Most tax notices arise not from wrongdoing, but from unintentional mismatch or ignorance.'
Bajaj Finserv - the holding company of Bajaj group's financial services business - has laid out plans for the next five years. During this period, it is eyeing 18-22 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in net profit at Rs 21,000-24,000 crore on a consolidated basis.
Five individuals, including an electronic repair shop owner and a DJ operator, have been arrested for allegedly defrauding a 78-year-old Delhi resident of over Rs 2.19 crore through a sophisticated cyber fraud involving impersonation of law enforcement officials and a 'digital arrest'.
Moving beyond digital payments, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the operator of Unified Payments Interface, is planning to add more muscle to the country's digital infrastructure by setting up a fourth subsidiary, NPCI Tech Solutions Ltd (NTSL).
India's leading conglomerates are stepping up investments in real estate, recasting what was once a peripheral activity into a core growth driver. Supported by strong balance sheets, established brands and access to long-term capital, major business houses including Aditya Birla, Tata, Godrej, L&T, Raymond, Wadia, Shapoorji Pallonji, Mahindra and Adani are positioning realty as a strategic pillar within their diversified portfolios.
Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran on Wednesday said that the country is not pursuing any proposal to replace the US dollar as international currency for global trade. "No, certainly not. I think India is not part of any such initiative," he said in response to a question if India is looking at an alternative currency to the US dollar for global trade.
The Maharashtra municipal elections showed a troubling shift, where votes were traded for cash, convictions no longer mattered, and ideology became an afterthought, observes Ramesh Menon.
'This Budget has a one-year agenda, which you can call the sprint, and the marathon is towards Viksit Bharat.'
The country's banking system, while remaining "resilient" with bad loans at over a decade low and strong capital buffers, will continue to face intense competition from non-bank sources for resource mobilisation, said the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2024-25 report.
Assam Chief Information Commissioner Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta resigned after an RTI request sought data on government funds given to his brother, who is linked to the death of singer Zubeen Garg. Mahanta cited his conscience and the need to avoid suspicion as reasons for his resignation.
